


And He Left Him There Alone

by Bullsy



Category: Star Fox - Fandom, Star Fox Series
Genre: Gen, Other, Pre-64, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bullsy/pseuds/Bullsy
Summary: 'Alone' used to mean 'the two of them'. A brief look into Falco and Leon's past.
Relationships: Falco Lombardi & Leon Powalski
Kudos: 9





	And He Left Him There Alone

"So. You're leaving."

It was midnight beneath the docks under a moonless sky -- as far away as you could go from the noise of the city, drowned out by mirror-black water rolling over sand. Falco had meant to be alone out here -- and he often was. 

But 'alone' used to mean 'the two of them'. Once.

And so, there was Leon, leaned back against the rusting pole piercing the beach. Head to foot in dark clothes with his collar drawn high, he could have quietly walked into the waves and no one would have known the difference. His words were thick with the smoke and stench of the cigarette in his hand, and Falco could tell by the smell alone that it was as cheap as they came. 

Leon didn't do cheap.

Falco stood there in the shadow of the boardwalk and forced himself to watch the sea-foam instead.

"Fense told you," Falco said.

"No," Leon said flatly. " _You_ did. Just now."

Falco ground his beak. "I ain't decided on nothing yet."

"Jacking a fighter and cleaning out your hideout looks pretty damn decided to me."

"What do you want?" Falco snapped, looking at Leon at last. "Did you want me to ask you to _go_ or what? You ain't said a word to me in weeks -- "

"Because you ain't given me the _time of day_ in weeks," Leon retorted, kicking off the pole to face him head-on. "I won't follow you and your thugs around all day -- "

"They're my _friends,_ " Falco said. "I don't get why they _piss you off_ so much."

"They piss me off 'cause you ain't been the same since you started running with them -- and _don't_ say you are," Leon said, interrupting Falco with a finger under his beak. "We've been working these streets for years; you never had to 'check in' with nobody before. Since when do you care what anybody else thinks, huh?"

Falco rolled his eyes. "Oh, what, you're callin' me _soft?_ 'Cause, what, I cover my ass?"

"'Cause you feel like you _gotta_. They got you by your wings and you don't even _know_ \-- "

"They got my _back,_ " Falco said, slapping Leon's hand down. "What do _you_ got?"

He hadn't meant to say that -- wanted to take it back the moment it was out. But he watched it settle behind Leon's cold, black eyes -- watched that flicker of fury disappear from behind them -- and knew that nothing else he said would matter.

Leon turned away -- back to the black skies and the black water and the waves hissing into nothing. Falco found himself, in spite of everything, battling with the overpowering urge to stay. To explain himself. Turning from him now felt like moving knee-deep in asphalt.

"Falco."

Falco stopped. As if he'd hear anything he'd want to.

"Is -- is that _girl_ coming, too?"

Falco shoved his hands into his pockets. "See you tomorrow," he said.

And he left him there alone. 

**Author's Note:**

> My friend and I have been kicking around ideas about what exactly the connection between someone like Falco and someone like Leon might be for awhile now. This here isn't so much an exploration of that as much as it is me just poking around in the territory a bit, but I like it anyway!


End file.
